Another week of crippling Sixers-related anxiety is very nearly in the books, Philadelphia. Sure, it has been coupled with moments of euphoria, but the playoff series energy is not for the weak. Trust me – I’m as fragile as they come. Actually, forget it. I don’t need to vent to you guys. I pay a therapist for that, and I pay him well. Shoutout to Vic for the pay bump <3.

We’ve got a weekend chock-full of high-leverage games across multiple sports, and I could not be more excited to clock out of work and dive right in. The vibes are set to be excellent, and the temperature will be perfect for some tomfoolery. Suns out guns out is one thing, but my thighs will be out and about until I’m legally forced to put them away.

I may have been joking about therapy (who the hell can actually afford that?), but I am dead serious about this weekend going completely stupid. So cut your short shorts even shorter, crack open a [your beer here], and get ready for a weekend in which I am sure drunken disorderly arrests among our readership will skyrocket. It’s time to let it rip.

Sixers travel to Hotlanta, smell blood in the water

Goddammit, I love opening Weekend Rips with some Sixers talk. After a shaky start to the series, the Sixers answered with a confident win on Tuesday night. Now, the squad looks to go up 2-1 in the series on ATL’s home floor. I, for one, am incredibly confident in the Sixers’ ability to beat this Hawks team. They’re a fun young team, sure, but we have playoff experience out the wazoo. That maturity in the team will play a massive role. Keep an eye on Joel Embiid absolutely shredding the Hawks’ big men. Plus, I cannot wait to see if Shake Milton reprises his excellent offensive performance. He proved he is capable of it in the first half of the year. I just hope it’s come back for the playoffs.

For this game, I offer you a challenge. Do not check the box score until after the game, especially Ben Simmons’ stats. Just enjoy WATCHING basketball. It’s a novel idea, but, man, is it liberating. Catch the Sixers on ESPN @ 7:30 pm. The commentary will be trash, but it’s the price one pays for greatness.

Game Preview, Odds, Predictions >>

Phillies host the Yankees while both teams look to regain form

What is there to say about the Phillies right now? They sucked for a bit, then had back-to-back walk-offs to win the series against the Braves. Now, after taking today off, they’ll play a two-game series against the New York Yankees. The Yanks have struggled all season. However, their bats woke up this week. Just ignore that it was against the poverty franchise that is the Minnesota Twins.

According to the MLB Probable Pitchers website (I can’t believe it’s an actual site, I love it), we’ll see Vinny Velo on the bump Saturday with Nola up on Sunday. Honestly, not too bad. Vinny’s been pretty solid with the occasional blowup. Nola has looked like our third-best pitcher the last few weeks and is in dire need of a bounceback game. Not want you would want from a supposed homegrown ace.

Braves Recap and Yankees Preview >>

4:05 on Saturday and 1:05 on Sunday. Let’s pump the numbers in stands up; the attendance has been abysmal.

UEFA European Football Championship: better late than never

Alright, you Euro freaks, it’s your time to shine. One of the most renowned soccer competitions kicks off today at 3pm with Turkey vs. Italy. Postponed due to the pandemic, Euro 2020 promises some excellent matchups between top-tier squads. Personally, I cannot wait to watch the beautiful game played between such quality European sides. In no small part because the games are during the workday. If you don’t like soccer, that’s fine. I do, and so do other people. Keep the comments to yourself, you troglodyte.

The Liberty Line

It’s been another wildly successful week for The Liberty Line. Vic and Drew finally realized they were sitting on an oil well of content and let me live tweet the Sixers game Tuesday night. I don’t know if any other blogs in the area live-tweeted the game too, but if they did, I sure didn’t hear about it. Unfortunately, the powers that be will most likely silence me. Fight on, people. Fight on.

In other news, some members of TLL were surprised I have never done acid before. I’m not exactly sure what that says about me. I am pretty sure that falls into the same vein as people who are surprised I’ve never had a concussion before. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

No matter where you are or who you’re with, I genuinely hope you have a terrible weekend if you’re picking against the Sixers tonight. Seriously, I hope it sucks big time, jackass.

The Process Hates You.

Listen to The Wolves of Broad St

Mandatory Credit: Philadelphia Inquirer